What about the original simulation hypothesis, saying that our world is a computer simulation? Is this a scientific hypothesis or a philosophical hypothesis? The philosopher of science Karl Popper insisted that the hallmark of a scientific hypothesis is that it is falsifiable—capable of being proved false using scientific evidence. We’ve seen that the simulation hypothesis is not falsifiable because any evidence against it could be simulated. So Popper would say that it’s not a scientific hypothesis. Like many philosophers these days, I think Popper’s criterion is too strong.
